Yes Philippines NewsMagazine UK Edition - Issue 1

ISSUE 1
7
Continued from page 6...
of four culinary t radit ions ? Spanish,
Am erican, Malay and Chinese, and a real
fusion of flavours from t he East and West .
And she?s earnest in m aking it know n and
savoured by t he w orld.
Great ness in t he Making
It has been non-st op w ork at Rom ulo Café
since day one. The challenges have been
huge and dem anding. How t o not only
int roduce but fam iliarise diners w it h
Filipino food; how t o com pet e in such a
crow ded, noisy and high-st andard
culinary locat ion, and even how t o
persuade Filipinos in London t hat Rom ulo
Café offers a viable alt ernat ive t o Pinoy
hom e-cooking or Mam a?s cooking.
Row ena st rat egised and soon
w it nessed hist ory in t he m aking.
?Filipino food has been t he ?quiet
m an (or w om an!)?of gast ronom y for
t he longest t im e. But w e t ried t o
explain our food on our m enus as
sim ply and clearly as possible, and
w e did not hesit at e t o prom ot e, via
social m edia and ot her m edia
?We have t o m ake
sure w e are
com pet it ive ? in
every w ay, versus
est ablishm ent s in
our st yle and price
bracket .?
channels as
w ell as
exhibit ions
and food fest ivals, t he
fact t hat w e exist ed as
purveyors of ?a t ast e of
t he Philippines in t he
heart of Kensingt on?.?
Today her chefs ensure
t hat t hey keep her grandm ot her, Lola Virginia?s
recipes alive by overseeing t he consist ency and
qualit y of t he food seven days a w eek, bearing in
m ind t hat m any no longer consider eat ing out as
a t reat but a lifest yle.
?We have never claim ed t hat our food is t he
definit ive t his or t hat dish; rat her, it is t he fam ily
rendit ion of Filipino favourit es or, ever so oft en,
our innovat ive t w ist on dishes using
Filipino ingredient s and cooking st yles,?
said Row ena. Rom ulo Café?s kit chen t eam
is quit e pleased t o have been able t o
convince a num ber of people t hat fine
w ine goes w ell w it h fine Filipino food, and
m any of t heir Philippine-inspired
cockt ails have t aken off.
?We have t o m ake sure w e are
com pet it ive ? in every w ay, versus
est ablishm ent s in our st yle and price
bracket ,? she added.
Row ena cert ainly had high hopes, but she
herself could not believe t he t urnout .
Rom ulo Café has becom e a head-t urner,
creat ing not just a buzz but a resounding
bang. That sam e year it opened, Rom ulo
Café w on t he 2016 Tim e Out ?Best Loved
Rest aurant in Kensingt on?. It also received a
5-st ar and ot her t op rat ings from t rend-set t ing
lifest yle/ food bibles like Tim e Out , Hardens, and
Square Meal.
And w hile t hose are already m ilest ones, t he
inclusion of Rom ulo Café in t he prest igious
The popular Rom ulo Cafe Pandesal
Row ena and Chris w it h Execut ive
Chef Jerem y villanueva
TATLER
Rest aurant Guide in 2018, t he A-list of t op
rest aurant s in London and t he UK, is one of t he
forem ost achievem ent s, carrying t he pow erful
st at em ent : Filipino food has definit ely arrived
and is here t o st ay. As if t o drive hom e t he point ,
in May 2018, Rom ulo Café ret ained it s crow n as
Tim e Out Most Loved Rest aurant in Kensingt on.
Moreover, it is now Tim e Out ?s second Most
Loved Local Rest aurant (am ong all rest aurant s)
in London!
The hard w ork has paid off. Today, t hanks t o bot h
fellow Filipino, Brit ish and int ernat ional
cust om ers, Rom ulo Café?s Crispy Pata, Adobo,
Kare-Kare, Pansit Guisado, Flying Fish, Pork Sisig,
Chicken Relleno, Halo-Halo, and Suman Latik are
Row ena accept ing her aw ard as one of t he
FWN 100 Most Influent ial Wom en of 2017
firm favourit es on Kensingt on High St reet .
The Conquist ador is a Wom an
Som e of t he firm favourit es at t he rest aurant
What could happen in less t han t w o years? For
Row ena and Rom ulo Café, w hat has happened is
not hing short of m onum ent al.
Grit over experience is Row ena?s form ula for
cham pioning t his voyage. Says t he now
est ablished rest aurat eur, ?We are never t oo
old nor is it ever t oo lat e t o st art over. At
t im es, w e need t o t ake a risk and have t he
courage t o vent ure int o som et hing
new ? even if it m eans clim bing out of our
com fort zone. All our dream s can com e t rue
if w e have t he courage t o pursue t hem .
Not hing is im possible, t he im possible only
t akes t im e.?
Wit h such a disposit ion, it w ould not t ake
long for t he w orld t o see t he st rengt h in
Row ena. In 2017, she w as nam ed one of t he
100 m ost influent ial Filipinas in t he w orld by
t he Filipina Wom en?s Net w ork. She w as
recognized in t he ?Builder Aw ard?cat egory for
her "except ional organizat ional im pact at a
large w orkplace environm ent ," her
"deep passion for a
?My t eam and
I cont inue t o
w ork
ext rem ely hard
t o ensure t hat
w e are
consist ent ly
delivering
qualit y food and
service day in
and day out . And t o
show case t he best of
Filipino hospit alit y,
and m ake Rom ulo
Café ?hom e aw ay
hom e?for Filipinos.?
cause, t hrough
collaborat ive
init iat ives or
alliances" and "high
pot ent ial and skill
w it h
m easurable
result s."
In t he m idst of all
t he accolades, she
rem ains st eadfast .
For her, receiving
recognit ion sim ply
m eans ?No Slacking?.
?My t eam and I
cont inue t o w ork
ext rem ely hard t o
ensure t hat w e are
consist ent ly
delivering qualit y food and service day in and day
out . And t o show case t he best of Filipino
hospit alit y, and m ake Rom ulo Café ?hom e aw ay
hom e?for Filipinos,? she said.
Row ena cannot help but liken t he journey of
Rom ulo Café t o t heir Pandesal. ?Our hom e-m ade
Pandesal is t he first t hing t hat guest s are
served w hen t hey dine w it h us. It looks very
sim ple and unassum ing and t hen w hen
guest s t ake t heir first bit e, t hey say ?WOW?
and are very com plim ent ary. From t he
out side, t he rest aurant looks sm all and
unpret ent ious but w hen people ent er t he
m ain dining room , t hey are im pressed w it h
t he overall am biance and décor and t he
hist ory t hat surrounds t he rest aurant . Our
journey has been t hat of a relat ively
unknow n cuisine in London t hat has m ade it
t o t he A-list of rest aurant s in less t han 2
years. And now , Pandesal is delivered t o
m any London hom es and w e have
non-Filipinos w ho com e in t o t ake it hom e.
How about t hat !?
The eponym ous Rom ulo Café is sure t o honour
t he grand legacy of t he diplom at Carlos P.
Rom ulo. because a det erm ined and driven
w om an nam ed Row ena Rom ulo t ook up t he
challenge, it is now an em blem of Filipino pride in
London, our very ow n cuisine at it s heart .